Chapter Nineteen: Bittersweet

Written by: JayEmEl

Edited by: Cowjump

Beta reader: Warwolf

NOTE: This is it, guys. The final chapter. It's been a long time coming. Keep in mind that this chapter is meant to wrap the story up - we've pretty much reached the end already, so don't expect fireworks.

Happy reading!

Blake was awoken by a bright light suddenly shining onto her eyelids. She groaned and winced, turning over in bed to hide her eyes.

"Wakey, wakey, Team RWBY!"

This habitual morning greeting would need some getting used to all over again. Blake could not find it in herself to be annoyed at Ruby's exclamation, though.

"What's the big idea, Ruby?" Yang grunted from the bunk above Blake, voice muffled as she was probably talking into her pillow.

It all sounded so normal – the way things should be.

"We're going to the beach!"

This declaration caused Blake to turn back towards the room, squinting at the open window – and at the Ruby standing proudly beside it in her pajamas.

The Ruby wasn't wrong. It looked like a beautiful day out there. The sun was warmer than ever, a pleasant blanket on the skin, and the breeze coming in was soft without being too cool or too hot. Without a cloud in the sky, the weather was indeed perfect for a visit to the beach.

So, obviously, that was what Team RWBY did that day.

Yang, although slow to get the sleep out of her eyes, was immediately onboard, to no one's surprise, and when the two sisters turned to their partners with hopeful stars in their gazes, they were met with almost no protests at all. Blake didn't even need to consider the idea – she was already rising from her bed and getting ready. Weiss checked their schedule, just in case they had border patrol duties that day, but Blake already knew the schedule and prompted Ruby to go ask Nora and Ren if they wanted to come along. Ruby's eyes had widened in excitement – maybe in a little disbelief that Blake was going out of her way to be supportive, too – and she had rushed out in flurry of rose petals.

Then Weiss started to collect Ruby's beach gear before getting ready, herself.

Blake had noticed changes in the small things – how everyone was much more appreciative of Ruby's presence, much more intent on listening to her and supporting her decisions. And she also saw how Weiss argued less if Blake cooperated easily on more divisive topics. Even Yang toned her sarcasm down around the heiress. The teasing never stopped, of course, but the insults and off-handed remarks were less biting, the look in her eyes more joyful, and Weiss' comebacks lacked some of their usual frost. If there was anything different to be observed between the two, it was newfound respect.

...or, rather, basic civility.

But all four girls acted with more gratitude towards each other, having learned all too personally that life was fragile and fleeting. They should have realized this far sooner, of course, and the recent scare could have ended in far worse a fate, but RWBY was back together as a unit and as a small family of their own, and that was what mattered now – being there for each other and moving forward.

And now they could truly enjoy their summer vacation in between their responsibilities as huntresses in training. Weiss would have to leave for Atlas again sometime in the following month, but that was for the future to worry about.

Today was for the beach. And when RWBY plus Ren and Nora were all prepared and heading out their doors, Blake paused, staring down at the object in her hand, giving it a second thought.

"You coming, Blake?" Yang wondered from in the hallway, seeing that Blake, as usual, insisted on lagging behind the group.

Blake nodded, "Yes, hang on." She then walked back into the room and put her journal on her bed. She stared at it for a moment longer, wondering if she would miss it, considering that there was no harm in bringing it, just in case. But in the end, Blake turned away and closed the door behind her on her way out. They would be gone for the day and Blake had every intention of participating in the activities the group had planned, reassured in the knowledge that Yang loved it when she did, and even Blake, herself, knew she would have fun. There would be no need for her journal – nor a need for a book – especially knowing she could always read or write some other time. And so, while Blake reached out and took Yang's outstretched hand, smiling, Blake's private thoughts since entering Beacon stayed behind, forgotten.

Blake was, initially, not very good at beach volleyball. The problem was that every time the ball sailed in her direction, her first instinct was not to make it bounce away from her – it was to bat it out of the air and to the ground right in front of her. Her friends laughed the first few times, and Blake would feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she became self-conscious, but with the encouragements that followed, and Blake's own resolve to get a grip over her feline nature, the Faunus was soon at least hitting the ball up and keeping a semblance of rhythm to keep the game going. She didn't always send it flying in the correct direction, unused to keeping her wrists locked in this manner, but the more they played, the more comfortable and accurate she became. If anything, she quickly got really good at spiking the ball.

Impressively good, in fact.

Ruby, Weiss, and Ren formed one team while Yang, Nora, and Blake formed another. Nora and Yang's power hits compensated for Ruby and Ren's swiftness, and Weiss and Blake were about equal in talent, which evened the odds. Probably, once they became better at the game, Weiss would start using her glyphs while Blake could use her shadow-clones, and the odds would still remain equal.

But, of course, there was always something to distract Blake's attention – the blonde bombshell on her team, for example. And even if Blake had seen Yang in her scandalous yellow two-piece in the past, the effect it had on the bookworm seemed to have only gotten worse.

So, if Blake got hit in the chest and then in the face by the ball before she decided it was time to stop ogling her girlfriend, she did her best to at least keep her dignity intact and refuse to admit she was staring at Yang, specifically. It was the seagulls. They peppered the sand like litter and flew awfully close sometimes. They were the ones to blame.

And the only thing Yang had to say to that was, "Yeah, and I bet their hips don't lie, either, right, Blake?" and followed it up with a teasing eyebrow waggle.

Blake groaned. She should have known her comment would come back and bite her. No one was ever safe from Yang's humor. Blake wondered what it said about her that she preferred blaming her cat instincts over blaming her attraction to Yang, though. Probably a lot of things – things she didn't care to think about right now, anyway.

Ruby's team won the game, in the end, but nobody was truly upset. In fact, everyone walked away from that game with grins plastered on their faces. And it wasn't long before Nora was running towards the water, yelling at Ren to follow, before Ruby decided to fly by at the speed of light, right in time to send water splashing at Nora.

Blake watched them, staying a safe distance away from the waves rolling in on the shore and smiling, endeared by the youthful behavior. She remembered missing out on this about three months ago, laying on her lounger, hearing her friends amusing themselves but refusing to participate. She had felt so undeserving back then, like she would just dampen everyone's spirits if she accepted Yang's invitation, and had deemed it better to be self-effacing, hiding her Faunus heritage behind a little black bow. Even Weiss had been more social than her at the time. Blake slowly shook her head – she had been so wrong to keep herself away from her team, away from Yang. She had never been happier than now, and her friends seemed to be happy that she was with them, too.

"So, if I were to ask you to play Frisbee in the water with us…what would be your answer?"

Yang seemed to have materialized beside Blake, Frisbee in her hands. Lilac eyes glittered joyfully with a hint of hope in their depths, and Blake wondered if Yang could see into her mind with those mischievous eyes, too. Her question was suspiciously relevant. Nevertheless, Blake had to give it some thought. "My answer would be…yes, but only if nobody gets water in my ears." She didn't like water in general, but she supposed that if she didn't go in any further than her calves, it wouldn't be that bad.

Yang put her hand on her heart. "I swear it on the blood of my ancestors!"

"Why are you always so dramatic?" came Weiss' sarcastic – but not biting – voice as she walked towards them. "All you have to say is 'No, Blake, we won't get water in your ears.'"

"Oh, 'scuse me. Lemme just correct myself – no, Blake, we won't get water in your ears, but we'll definitely get some in Weiss'."

"You better not," Weiss retorted as she started making her way towards Ruby and Nora. "I'm going to get them out of there so they can join us."

"Uh-huh," Yang snickered, and Blake rolled her eyes. They watched Weiss go, and then Yang decided to ask, "So, what were you thinking about?"

Maybe Yang really could see right through her. Golden met lilac affectionately. "Just that I regret wasting our first two years as teammates being withdrawn and ashamed of who I am and what I've done. You, Ruby, Weiss… You've been a true family to me, and I willingly blinded myself."

Yang's grin dimmed, but it was her turn to slowly shake her head. "That's in the past, Blake. What matters is what you do now, and I'd say you've come a really long way from when we first met."

Blake nodded. "I know. And it's largely due to you guys. But I'm not berating myself over it anymore. I'm just glad we pulled through."

Yang gazed out towards Weiss, Nora, and Ruby, pensive. Weiss was still trying to convince Ruby to get out of the water while attempting to avoid being splashed by Nora. Ren stood nearby, apparently debating over whether or not he should try to help the Schnee heiress with her endeavor. Yang smiled. "I'm glad we did, too."

There was a pause, both girls content in this shared sentiment, but then Yang started towards the others. She looked back, motioning for Blake to follow with a wave of her hand. "C'mon! Let's go help Weiss."

And Blake followed without question, voluntarily putting in the effort to participate and be there with Yang and the others in the good moments, too, and not just the hard ones. She was enjoying herself, and was genuinely looking forward to the rest of the day.

Playing Frisbee with the group turned out to be a little crazy – Ruby dashing at the speed of light to intercept overkill launches from Nora and Yang, Blake using shadow clones to block and catch certain other throws, Weiss confusing the direction the Frisbee flew with her glyphs, and Ren being able to foresee most of their moves before they made them – to say the least, other people on the beach gave them a large berth or even observed them with great amusement. Blake did eventually find out that the water was somewhat cold but tolerable, sometimes having to step in it to catch the disc.

By the time they were out of breath and laughing, they decided to go to a nearby cantina for lunch, eating unhealthy fries and burgers and ice cream – even Weiss made the exception – and this was followed by collapsing on the beach to sunbathe. They did not all catch some rays, though – Nora and Ren walked off, probably to swim and enjoy the waves, while Weiss made sure to choose an area with a vacant beach umbrella she could sit under, prone as she was to sunburns.

It was as they were setting up their area that the girls heard all four of their scrolls suddenly alert them to an important notification. They all shared a look. It couldn't be the hospital again, could it?

Ruby was the first to look into the group's beach bag, undisturbed with kneeling on the sand. She fetched her scroll and pulled the handles open, quickly bringing up the message. "Oh! Our grades came in."

Relief swept over the young women, and they took their own scrolls from the bag one by one, forgetting about getting comfortable for the immediate moment.

"I wonder how our last mission impacted our overall..." Weiss' voice trailed off and she creased her eyebrows as her gaze skimmed the document, "...score? Why does our team have two different marks?"

Blake unlocked her personal document on her scroll by putting in her student password, rapidly finding what Weiss was referring to near the bottom. "87.15 or 86.40? What does that mean?" Blake was honestly just as confused. They were passing, fortunately – and that was good news they would most likely celebrate later – but even if it seemed like their team score was indeed being impacted by low numbers somewhere, that would not have warranted two different marks.

"What? Hey, yeah, you're right... That's weird." Ruby was seeing it, too.

Blake began searching her personal grades for any clues. There was almost a minute of silence as the girls all seemed to do the same thing. But whatever was going on, it didn't seem to have anything to do with Blake – her personal average for the year was a 95.2, which was kind of amazing, even for Blake, but it appeared this was because she had scored extra high during her second semester on her end-of-year exam. This would have normally brought her joy or at least pride in herself, but Blake could only feel regret. The sole reason for this group occurrence was because of how terribly wrong their last mission had gone. With Ruby out of commission, Blake barely had a choice to step up and take the reins.

It wasn't anything nice to reminiscence on.

And it also didn't answer any questions.

"What even is this?!" Yang suddenly raved, staring wide-eyed and somehow looking both enraged and completely puzzled at her scroll. "Why did I get a zero and a one-hundred percent in my Physics class?! What's A#?!"

"Well, there's the culprit. Yang, what did you do...again?" Ruby squinted at her sister.

"This hurts my brain so much," Weiss seethed. "You better have an explanation for yourself."

Yang's outraged expression met the rest of Team RWBY. "You know what this is? This is bull. This is conspiracy theory crap. I spent half my time in that class asking genuinely confused questions about obvious contradictions, and the professor kept giving me stupid answers that made total sense but always finished by saying something like 'but it varies.' Which, if the studying I actually did is true, is not possible in physics!"

"So, you were both right and wrong for everything you did in that class? Nobody ever take Physics again. I forbid it." Weiss scowled.

Yang chucked her scroll back into her bag, apparently done with her grades. "Whatever," she grumbled. "At least I still got something between 83 and 87.1 as a personal average."

"Well, I scored a 93.9," Weiss announced, decidedly satisfied. "What did you get, Blake?"

Weiss and Blake, despite not having all of the same classes, had done a lot of studying together and had kept tabs on each other's progress. It was normal that Weiss would be curious. Blake ducked her head a little, though. She was almost tempted to lie. "Um, 95.2..."

The heiress' eyes widened. "How did you score higher than me?"

Blake was quick to explain. "Different classes! I'm sure if we had the same ones, you would have done better than me. And then there was that whole end-of-year mission..."

"Hey, credit where credit is due," Yang intervened, laying a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. She seemed to beam proudly at the Faunus with her eyes, and Blake felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Blake's a really smart cookie. And she even helped me pass my Aura Theory class!" Yang did grin then, and she switched her attention to the youngest member of the group. "What about you, Rubes?"

But Ruby wasn't smiling. Her expression even looked kind of pained as she reviewed her document.

"Ruby?" Yang moved closer to her sister, her grin fading and being replaced with concern.

Ruby sighed. "My personal average for the year is 67.2..."

"What? How?" Weiss settled beside her partner as well.

"Because of our end-of-year field exam." The red-head tried to laugh, but it lacked pep. "I scored a 48.7, probably because of...well, because I got knocked out."

It was incredibly concerning news. The team's average was alright – again, they were passing – but Ruby's grade was threatening some terrible amount of recuperation. "Are you passing, at least? They aren't going to fail you, are they?"

Weiss took Ruby's scroll from her and rapidly started scanning the document while the younger girl was embraced by Yang. "It's gonna be okay, Ruby. We'll figure this out."

Blake looked expectantly at Weiss, and the heiress suddenly stopped skimming, attentively reading something she had found. "Weiss?"

The white-haired girl didn't answer right away, but then she smiled and said, "There's nothing to figure out. You are okay, Ruby. Headmaster Ozpin personally gave you an exception under the unfortunate circumstances this happened in. He says you performed very well during the entirety of your year and should not suffer even more because of an out-of-control event."

Ruby pulled away from Yang and gave Weiss a wide-eyed stare. "Really?" she squeaked.

Weiss returned Ruby's scroll. "See for yourself."

Ruby's silver eyes quickly darted across the document as she confirmed what Weiss had just said. Her shoulders seemed to sag with relief. "I'm gonna have to give him a huge –"

"Hug!" Yang exclaimed, giving Ruby another, much tighter embrace.

"I'm not hugging Ozpin!" Ruby protested, her voice muffled against the blonde's shoulder.

This warranted Yang's laughter, and even Blake found herself smiling. They were all relieved to hear the news. Team RWBY would be able to start the next year off on equal grounds and keep improving their skills together. More importantly, they would be able to move away from the tragic incident of this year even faster. Things were truly looking up.

Weiss set her hand on Ruby's shoulder for a brief moment as a sign of support, but then she said, "Well, I've already been in the sun long enough as it is." She proceeded to sit on the lounger she brought and apply more sunscreen to her skin. Blake, Ruby, and Yang settled down more comfortably in the sun without a problem next to her, but Yang insisted on getting Ruby to apply some more sunscreen, too.

"But Yaaang –"

"Nope, you are not burning in my presence!" Yang caught her younger sibling before she could attempt to run away, which quickly devolved into struggling and laughter as they play-fought.

Ignoring their eccentrics, Blake lay down on her back nearby, deciding that despite the fun she'd had so far, this was still definitely her favorite activity of the day. Lying in the warmth of the sun, relaxing, maybe even napping… Blake closed her eyes, the noises around her slowly fading into a muted background drone. This seemed to be the only time Blake so easily drifted towards sleep.

Until, of course, Yang had something to ask.

"Hey, Blake, can you –"

"If you're going to ask me to undo the knot of your top, the answer is no." Blake didn't open her eyes.

"But, Blake! How am I gonna tan right?"

"Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I will encourage the exhibitionist in you. There are children here." There was a pause, and Blake almost left it at that, but then she decided to make a bit of a joke out of her instincts, opening her eyes to look at Yang and adding dryly, "Also, you're my human, and I'm not sharing."

Ruby made a gagging noise while Weiss coughed uncomfortably, and Yang just blinked in surprise before laughing. "Well, I won't argue with that, I guess," she chuckled, and then leaned over Blake a little, eyes twinkling in amusement and – Blake's heart fluttered faster – adoration. "Are you saying I'm your master?" she asked quietly, inching closer, voice sweet like honey. "Because it sounds like you're saying I'm your master."

Blake narrowed her eyes, even if her heart insisted on thudding harder in reaction to the blonde's proximity. She would not let Yang win at these mind games, and matched her tone with, "Are you being racist? Because it sounds like you're being racist."

Yang's eyes widened, but then she took the remark in stride and grinned, leaning in even closer so that her mouth brushed on Blake's cheek. "Well, what if I called you mistress instead?" Her lips touched Blake's human ear. "…Would you like that?"

"U-um –" Blake felt the blush all the way to the tips of her cat ears, all possibility of intelligent response wiped clean from her mind…and replaced with a mental image she had to internally struggle not to entertain. Apparently, winning at mind games against Yang was a hopeless cause.

In Blake's failure at answering, Weiss spoke up, mildly aggravated, "Would you two find somewhere else to flirt? You're both being disgusting."

And Ruby decided to add, mocking, "Yeah, there are children here."

"Oh, my God, you two," Yang collapsed beside Blake, faking offense. But then she snickered. "It's official, Blake. We're now that couple who has to be affectionate behind closed doors only. We're too gross together for the rest of society. What has the world come to?"

Blake recovered a semblance of composure with Yang no longer invading her personal space, thankfully. "I don't know, Yang. But I thought we were past slavery."

"But not sexual innuendos!"

"Seriously, you two need to either stop talking or go somewhere else with your depravity," Weiss scowled.

Ruby giggled, and Yang gave up on commenting – and also on untying her bikini, much to everyone's relief – instead turning onto her stomach so the sun tanned her back. Blake slowly shook her head and closed her eyes again, finally feeling the blush leave her face. The group fell silent as they relaxed, but Blake found the corners of her lips twitching upwards a little despite herself.

Yang was right about one thing – Blake really had come a long way. She was much more comfortable with who and what she was – and that was what it said about her preferring to blame and defer to her feline instincts over her own girlfriend. More than no longer hiding her Faunus heritage, Blake could also poke fun at herself and flirt back to Yang's inappropriate jokes, and she was happier for it.

Truly, Blake was happy to have Yang in her life, no matter what.

The beach always emptied by sunset. It was great, really – the crashing of the waves and the distant chirping of crickets could be fully appreciated this way. The sky was already alight with red and orange, bathing the sand and water in warm, comforting hues. The evening was exquisite.

Blake had wandered away from her group of friends, but she wasn't alone, not this time. Yang was by her side, hands entwined as they walked near the tide rolling in. The temperature had dropped a little, and so Blake had slipped on a pair of capris with a tank top over her swimsuit after accepting Yang's invitation to go on a stroll as a couple – but only if the blonde dressed a little more decently, too. Yang had agreed with a laugh, so now she was wearing tight-fitting short shorts and a short-sleeved cardigan that she had tied the front of over her bikini top – so, ultimately, she was still showing off a lot of skin, but it was an improvement.

At least it was easier for Blake to control where she was looking now.

They had walked for a little while, eventually coming across an area of the beach that had large rocks emerging from the waves to their right, and rocky cliffs further off to their left. The setting sun reflected sparklingly on the formations, and Blake and Yang came to a stop, looking up to the top of the cliff for a moment before returning their gazes to the ocean.

It was relaxing, to be alone together, admiring the view, and Blake found herself leaning against Yang's side, head resting on her shoulder, Yang reciprocating and wrapping her arm around Blake's waist. The Faunus bathed in her girlfriend's warmth and in the light of the sun, enjoying the peaceful sounds of distant birds and crickets chirping. A lone seagull flew above them, letting out a brief cackle as it continued on its way. Even the strong thudding of Yang's heart was reassuring.

"I had a lot of fun today," Blake eventually said. She meant it. Perhaps it wasn't something she would repeat frequently, as she needed her quiet time, but spending the day with her friends as a group was worthwhile every now and then.

Yang tightened her hold a little. "I'm glad you did. And it was great to have you playing with us." Her voice was soft, genuine. "I love you, Blake." She sighed, content.

"I love you, t – " Blake interrupted herself, heart missing a beat. "What did you just say?" She pulled away from Yang, enough to set a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare on her. Now her heartbeat was accelerating anxiously.

Yang chuckled, awkward, massaging the back of her neck, eyes shining. "Uh, heh, I guess I did it again, right? Conclusions last, not first. I'm sorry. It's just that you've been there for me, Blake, and you give me everything I need and you're this incredible per –"

Blake felt her throat tighten with a ball of emotions, tears pricking her eyes. "No, no, no. Oh, Yang, I don't care. Not right now. You love me?"

Bright, sincere lilac met hopeful, touched golden. An easy, affectionate smile graced Yang's features. "Yeah. I love you, Blake. Very much."

And Blake couldn't hold herself back anymore – she threw herself against Yang to hold her tightly, arms around the blonde's neck, joyful, relieved tears spilling down her cheeks. She buried her face in lustrous locks, the fading scent of vanilla overwhelming her, and Yang returned the embrace with equal strength, her own arms firm around Blake's waist and back, lips against the Faunus' shoulder. They held each other close, and then Yang was lifting Blake off her feet and spinning her around. She only did it a few times, but Blake was still initially surprised and clung to her girlfriend even tighter, then quickly felt like her heart might just burst from happiness.

Yang loved her back. Blake felt so light and free she thought she may just be able to fly.

Yang set her down gently, and then they slowly separated. The tears continued to escape Blake's eyes, and when Yang saw this, she softly cupped the raven-haired girl's cheek, wiping some of the wetness away with her thumb.

"Can I hear you say it again?" Blake asked in a small, tentative voice. Because she felt like it would never be enough – she wanted to keep hearing it over and over, but she would take anything Yang willingly gave her.

Yang's lips quirked upwards, her touch still caring around Blake's jaw and cheeks, keeping the girls near each other. "I love you, Blake. You mean the world to me."

The effect was gradual, but Blake, so overcome with joy and love for her partner as she was, suddenly found it all bubbling through her and the next thing she knew, she was laughing – openly, without restraint. She was not ashamed or embarrassed. She was happy. Incredibly, veritably so. And then it wasn't long before Yang was laughing a little, too, passing her fingers through Blake's hair and then hugging her once more, a brief embrace from the sun.

She pulled away again, holding Blake's face, gazing into her eyes, and asked, "Those are happy tears, right?"

Blake nodded, her laughter quieting, and managed to murmur, "They're happy tears, yes."

Yang's tender and hopeful lilac regard was the most breathtaking sight in the fiery lights of the sunset. She caressed Blake's cheek, and then she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to the bookworm's in a careful, tentative kiss. Blake closed her eyes and reciprocated willingly, tilting her head a bit, hands sliding down to rest on Yang's waist, heart racing, amazed at her partner's initiative. Gaining some confidence, Yang deepened the embrace, and Blake found herself exhaling through her nose, suddenly smiling again, which caused the warm girl to pull away. But Yang saw Blake's expression, and she grinned, too, eyes twinkling.

They rested their foreheads together, and Blake had to blink, clearing her eyes from more tears. She held Yang closer, hands trailing up to rest on the sides of the extrovert's neck, and Blake found herself whispering, "You mean it...right?"

Yang let out a quiet giggle, saying in a susurration, "I mean it, Blake. I'm in love with you." And then she kissed Blake again, enrapturing and infinitely tender, before pulling away just far enough to continue in the same tone, "I want to cherish you and have you in my life like this. I love you, Blake Belladonna."

At this rate, Blake's heart would manage to escape her chest and soar for the heavens. Her smile widened and a few more tears landed on her cheeks. She could barely utter the words, she was so touched, but they came out anyway, timid and vaguely hoarse. "...I love you, too, Yang Xiao Long."

For whatever reason, this made Yang giggle again, and her thumb was rubbing soft little patterns on Blake's chin. "I want to make you happy the same way you make me happy."

"Always," Blake murmured, and she almost choked on another relieved sob. Instead, she pulled Yang close and buried her face in her love's collar, arms tight around her, and Yang reciprocate just as securely. And Blake felt safe. She was safe. She was home.

There was an unexpected gust of wind, making their hair whip to one side a bit, but they didn't immediately end the embrace. It was only when they realized they weren't alone anymore that they separated and found that Ruby had appeared, switching her weight from one foot to the other and making the sand crunch.

"Uh, hey, you guys!" she greeted them with awkward optimism."Sorry for interrupting. It's just that we gotta go so we don't miss the last airship to Beacon. Heh."

Yang and Blake looked at each other, still beaming, and then an unspoken agreement passed between them. Blake wiped her eyes as they intertwined their hands, and then Yang nodded at Ruby. "Yup, we'll be there. You better go tell Weiss before she pops a fuse."

Ruby snickered and then saluted. "You bet. Hurry up!"

And then she sprinted off, rose petals fluttering in her wake.

Yang tightened her grip on Blake's hand, and they shared another affectionate gaze before they started walking, heading back to their group of friends side by side. The sun was almost entirely below the horizon, the red sky turning to dark blue, bringing the day to a close. They had enjoyed themselves, Yang and Blake, and reassured in the knowledge of the love between them, they were both satisfied to be together and confident they could overcome any challenges they may face in the future.

Their couple wasn't perfect, and there would undoubtedly be more hurdles to figure out when the time came, but for now they were happy and they were there for each other. They had friends who supported them, helping them be the best versions of themselves and make wiser decisions, too. And so, hand in hand and as the sun finally disappeared for the night, Yang and Blake found their friends and teammates, and together as a group they made their way back to Beacon Academy, laughing and worry-free, forlorn no more.

YES, I KNOW. TITLE DROPS ARE THE WORST. It's why I got rid of the ones in previous chapters. But I needed to drop and keep this one for my own sake – Forlorn is finally done.

AND NOW STAY TUNED FOR THE SEQUEL.

*Wildly throws confetti*

P.S – I was gonna have a scene spoof that involved one of these three things:

1. Team RWBY's message was, in fact, going to be from the hospital, notifying them of Ruby's untimely death. Everyone, including Ruby, would then cry.

2. The numbers Team RWBY was discussing were going to be radio channels instead of grades.

3. Weiss lies to Ruby about Ozpin's intervention. When Ruby reads the document, she finds out Ozpin doesn't want her as a student anymore. She cries.

BUT THEN I DECIDED NOT TO RUIN THE ENDING WITH STUPIDITY AND AWFULNESS. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Toodles, my lovelies. :D